


the alternate plan (more greasepaint, less spangles)

by amusewithaview



Series: Nothing but love in view [12]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: AMERICA'S FAVORITE SPORT IS DARCY MAKE-OUTS, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Darcy is going to give him that hug, F/M, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, chemical induced dub-con that never goes past first base, i never really understood the 'bases' analogy, i think, spoiler: he does, whether he likes it or not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-10-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 12:07:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2150154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amusewithaview/pseuds/amusewithaview
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One little lab accident is all it takes to turn Bucky's frown upside-down.</p><p>Well, a lab accident, and a Darcy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>(A "What if?" spin-off from the main continuity of "Nothing but love in view.")</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. drop the beat (beaker)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EXPERIMENTAL STEVE POV!

Steve was in the gym with Bucky when Bruce’s tentative voice came through over the comm system: “Ah, Steve? We’ve, uh, got a bit of an issue in the labs. If you could, um, grab Natasha or Sam or, anyone really, we could use your help down here. There was an…incident. I’m trying to keep it from becoming an _incident._ ”

That had both men freezing in place. Steve knew that Bucky had yet to actually meet the mild-mannered scientist’s big green alter-ego, but he hoped he’d seen enough of the footage to have a healthy amount of concern over the possibility of an ‘incident.’ “I’ll be right down, with help,” he said, knowing JARVIS would make sure his answer reached the labs.

“You want me to come?” Bucky asked quietly. “Nat’s out, but Sam’s upstairs, if you’d prefer – “

“It’s your choice, Buck,” Steve told him, voice equally soft. The ex-assassin tended to avoid the labs due to the memories they brought up. He was fine with Tony and Bruce when they were in the common area, but he avoided that section of the Tower like the plague. “I’ve got your back.”

“And I’ve got yours,” Bucky said, smiling wryly. He rolled his shoulders a few times and then cracked his neck, “Alright, sooner we fix Stark’s mistake, sooner we can mock him for bein’ an idiot. I don’t remember Howard bein’ so stupid…”

“He had his moments,” Steve replied, grinning.

They headed straight for the elevator and, since JARVIS remained silent, Steve assumed that meant their gear wasn’t necessary for this _situation_ , whatever it was. Steve had only been down to the labs a few times, mostly to consult with Tony or Bruce about his uniform and possible upgrades. He was vaguely familiar with the layout of the labs and had met most of the other scientists who shared space there, like the Doctors Selvig and Foster, and their various assistants, but he didn’t exactly ‘hang out’ there.

Still, he knew the way better than Bucky, and so led the other man towards Bruce’s labs, where he assumed the source of the trouble must be. When he walked in, he found Bruce sitting on one side of a panel of glass while Tony and Darcy, Dr. Foster’s primary assistant and a friend of Thor, were on the other. Tony was fiddling around with something, looking more manic than usual, while Darcy was crouched and…petting one of the bots? They appeared to be fine, none of the mayhem or chaos he was expecting was apparent, which left him at a bit of a loss.

Bruce had looked up at their entrance and was watching Steve look around with a resigned expression on his face.

“You…said you needed our help?” Steve said, now a little unsure.

“Yeah, ah,” Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose and blew out a sigh. “We were working on a modified Hulk tranq, Tony was doing… _something_ and it blew up in our faces. Well, _their_ faces.”

“They don’t look particularly sleepy,” Bucky pointed out helpfully.

Bruce sighed again, and then… _blushed?_ “No, it’s not, ah, having the effect we intended. Instead of knocking them out, it appears to be acting as a sort of super-intoxicant, with a side of sodium pentothal.”

“In English, doc?” Bucky prodded.

“They’ve lost all of their inhibitions,” Bruce said flatly. “I need your help getting the two of them… _wrangled_ so I can get blood samples and figure out how long this is going to last.”

“I’m still not really seeing the problem,” Steve said, frowning. “Tony is…building something and Darcy appears to be playing around with some of the AIs – why do you need our help?”

The scientist looked heavenwards for a moment, then stood slowly, heading towards the door panel that would let him into the contained room. “The contaminant has already been purged by JARVIS, so I can show you this without much, ah, _fear_. I do ask that you…let what happens in the lab _stay_ in the lab. _Please._ ”

With that, he hit the button, quickly stepped through the door, and smacked the button again – sealing himself in, and the two soldiers out. The instant he’d entered the room, both Darcy and Tony had looked up and over, and now bore disturbingly similar grins of delight at the sight of the scientist. Tony dropped the tools he was working with and ran over to Bruce, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the station he’d been working at, obviously taking great delight in showing off what he’d been building. Meanwhile, Darcy was slowly but surely making her way over to them, eyes locked on Bruce…or, Steve realized abruptly, more specifically Bruce’s _hair_. As soon as she got within reach she was running her fingers over it and through it, smiling beatifically.

Bruce slowly turned his head to face them and mouthed, “HELP ME.”

Steve glanced over at Bucky, who was looking distinctly amused. “Have you met Darcy before?” he asked.

“Nah, seen her around Thor a coupla times, though. She’s, ah,” Bucky paused, obviously searching for appropriately complimentary and simultaneously respectful terms to use to describe the lab tech’s voluptuous figure. “She’s quite a looker, isn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, “and very friendly, too. And that’s when she _has_ inhibitions.”

Bucky quirked a brow at him, “Worried for your virtue, Stevie? I’ll deal with her if you want, leave Stark for you.”

“Thanks,” he said dryly. “Alright, lets try and get through this with a minimal amount of embarrassment.”

“Embarrassment?”

“Didn’t you know?” Steve asked just before he hit the button. “Bruce is Tony’s soulmate,” he told Bucky, smirking.

“Fuck,” Bucky said succinctly and then stepped into the room after him.

Bruce looked exceedingly grateful, but it was the afflicted duo that drew most of Steve’s attention. Tony glanced over at them for barely a second before returning his attention to Bruce, the hand he’d had on the other man’s arm slowly sliding down towards less appropriate regions. Darcy, on the other hand, was staring at the two of them, frozen stock-still with her fingers still buried in Bruce’s hair.

After a moment, she detached herself and started making her way towards them, eyes flicking from one to the other with a disturbing amount of intensity before fixing on Bucky. Steve watched with a certain amount of amusement as the petite brunette stopped a few feet away. Bucky, he was amused to note, was looking increasingly uncomfortable under her scrutiny. It wouldn’t have been obvious to an outside eye, but Steve knew Bucky (even the newer, more deadly version) and his tells: the metal arm was clicking through its settings at a steadily increasing rate, but otherwise Bucky was standing _stock-still_ \- one of the better indicators that he was feelin' nervy, since he was clearly drawing on his sniper training.

“I’m going to hug you till the sad leaves your eyes,” she told the ex-assassin and then leapt forward and wrapped herself around him.

Bucky very slowly turned his head towards Steve, eyes so wide that the whites were visible all the way around. “SHE’S MY SOULMATE,” he mouthed, looking panicked. “WHAT DO I DO?”

“Talk to her, you big lug,” Steve said incredulously.

“Uh…” Bucky looked down at her head where it was nestled against, and _nuzzling into,_ his chest. “Hugs are…nice.”

“You smell _really_ good,” Steve heard Darcy mumble.

She leaned away from Bucky, keeping her arms looped around his neck, and smiled at him. The smile she gave him, looking up at him through her eyelashes, was more suited to a bedroom than their current, public environs and her voice, when she spoke, reminded Steve very strongly of Lauren Bacall’s in “To Have and Have Not.”

“Of course, if the hugs don’t work, we can always move to the alternate plan…”

“The alternate plan?” Bucky asked, still looking like he wasn’t sure what was going on, though Steve noticed his hands had settled on Darcy’s hips.

She nodded and then leaned in a little to say, “That’s the plan where we fuck the sad away. Objections?” The sound of the ex-assassin gulping was loud in the sudden silence that had followed her…suggestion. She waited another moment, then grinned and said, “Thought so,” before take two of her snake act. This time she’d jumped up a little, bringing her knees up to bracket Bucky’s hips before going back to nuzzling his neck.

This time, Bucky turned to look at Bruce. Judging by the scientist’s expression, the other man’s face must have made quite the picture. “What. Do we do. To _fix this?_ ” he ground out.

“Ah,” Bruce started, hands busy trying to fend off Tony, who seemed to have found Darcy’s actions rather _inspiring_ , “I need blood samples.” He managed to get a decent grip on Tony, who started _pouting_ , and addressed the other man directly, “Do you want to help me come up with an antidote? It’s a brand new compound, completely unlike any I’ve seen before…”

It was actually rather fascinating to watch Tony’s brain click from _sex_ to _science_. “It _should_ break down in the bloodstream and wear itself out,” he said, expression speculative, “but I’m still not sure what made it switch from a sleep-aid to… _this_ , so, I mean, we _could_ wait it out, but – “

“I’d rather not take that chance,” Bucky interrupted, and Steve noticed that Darcy had unlaced her fingers from around his neck and moved them…elsewhere. He wasn’t entirely sure _where_ , only his friend’s neck was getting increasingly flushed and the fingers at her hips were clenching and releasing as if Bucky wasn’t sure whether he ought to push her away or pull her closer.

“Well, we’re gonna need somebody’s blood,” Tony said.

“Ah, it’ll probably be easier to get yours,” Bruce said, very deliberately averting his eyes from the newly discovered soulmates.

“Fine, whatever. Hey, Capsicle, you should come help in case I get sidetracked again.”

Steve gamely made his way over, holding Tony’s shoulder and arm steady so that Bruce could draw blood without worrying about him moving during the blood draw and inadvertently hurting himself.

“You know,” Tony said, looking down at where Steve’s hand was wrapped around his wrist with a funny little smile on his face, “I’ve had dreams that started like this…” He glanced up at the other scientist, “You were there too, of course.”

Bruce choked on his spit. “ _Tony._ Not the time!”

“Ooh…you gonna _punish_ me, Brucie?”

Steve really did not want to think too hard about Tony’s dreams, or his relationship with Bruce, so he turned his head to look back towards Darcy and Bucky. She’d managed to hook both her legs around Bucky’s waist, and his hands had slid from her hips down to grip her thighs in order to support her. Even as Steve watched, she leaned back from… whatever she was doing to his neck to eye him curiously.

“You’re really strong. How long do you think you could hold me up, say, against a wall?”

A strangled groan came from deep in the back of Bucky’s throat. “ _Steve,_ ” he said, “I would appreciate. Some _help._ ”

“Not the name I’d like to hear you call out,” Darcy sighed. “Here, I’ll demonstrate: _Bucky…_ ” she moaned exaggeratedly.

“ _Darcy,_ ” he growled. “You – “

“Oh,” she said, staring at him wide-eyed, “that was even _better._ Now, how do I make you do that again?”

“Uh,” Steve said. “Bruce, you, ah, you think you can take it from here?”

Tony was looking _extremely_ amused. “You sure he needs help?”

“I don’t want her - _goddamnit_ \- to do anything she’ll regret later,” Bucky explained painstakingly.

Darcy had been busy at his neck again, but she unlatched long enough to whisper, “Carpe diem,” in Bucky’s ear.

“STEVE!”

“Um, Bruce, you about done?”

The scientist in question was poring over a microscope with a slide that, presumably, had Tony’s blood on it. “With drawing Tony’s blood, yes, but chemistry is a _science_ and I’m not going to inject her with something that just _might_ \- oh. Well, _that’s_ …huh.”

“What?” Steve demanded.

“Well, it’s actually a pretty simple chemical, far moreso than I was – “

“Get to the _point_ , Bruce!”

“Dunk them in some hot water and it should help them sweat it out. It’s already incredibly degraded from – “

“Hot water, got it,” Bucky said quickly, turning and heading for the door.

“Ooooh…I like the way you think,” Darcy crooned as they left.

Steve stared after them for a few seconds before turning back to Tony and Bruce. “I’m gonna go make sure – “

“She doesn’t have her wicked way with him?” Tony asked. “You’re a real hero, Cap.”

“Go, Steve, I can handle him,” Bruce sighed.

“Yes, yes you can. _Anytime._ ”

…

Bucky had made it pretty far down the hall, but Steve booked it to the nearest somewhat-private showers, knowing the other man wouldn’t have taken her very far in her condition. He was barely two steps in the door, still out of sight of the showers, when he heard Darcy start wailing - and not the kind of wailing he’d been worried he’d hear.

“Oh my god. _Oh my god._ I am so, _so_ sorry!”

“It’s…fine.”

“No, it’s really not.” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears, “Jesus, I practically _raped_ you, look at your _neck_.”

“Darcy – “

“If you want to file a complaint, or-or press charges, or – I don’t know, _something_ \- Pepper’s got a freakin’ _stack_ of those forms somewhere, I mean most of them are pre-filled for Tony, but – “

“ _Darcy,_ stop. Just…” he heard Bucky heave a sigh. “I’m, ah, not feeling sad anymore?”

Steve heard her let out a watery chuckle. “Yeah, well, I give great hugs.”

Bucky muttered something inaudible even to his enhanced ears, then, “I wouldn’t mind getting more – hugs! I mean hugs!”

It was starting to sound like she’d gotten her confidence back, Darcy’s laugh was a little louder, brighter: “Well, if that’s what my _hugs_ do, I wonder what’ll happen when we work our way up to the alternate plan…”

Steve quickly backed from the room and headed down the hall towards the elevator. It looked like Bucky had the situation well in hand, or at least Darcy did, which left him with fewer things to worry about.

Now he could focus on finding, _You fight like the fiercest of my fellows._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU SHOULD ALL BLAME RAINNE.
> 
> Working on the Thorquel, and about a million other things, will post as finished.


	2. (strike that) reverse it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **PLEASE READ THIS A/N!!!**
> 
>  
> 
> Alright, now that I have your attention. This is NOT a direct sequel to the first chapter, this is a FLIPPING of the concept. So, last chapter had Darcy and Tony under the influence of the serum, THIS chapter has Bucky and Bruce as the victims. Same concept, just, you know, the flipped side. :-D

Darcy was in the lab with Jane when Tony’s somewhat manic voice came through over the comm system: “Ah, we’ve got a bit of an issue in the labs, but don’t panic! So far it seems like more of a ‘this will all be funny in a few hours’ issue than a ‘we’ll rue the day’ issue. I could definitely use an extra pair of hands, though – no, Dum-E! Not _you!_ \- so Erik, Jane, anyone really – Dum-E! Put that _down!_ You are not part of the ‘anyone!’ - come on down to my lab. _Now, please._ ”

Jane grumbled under her breath for a moment before reluctantly admitting, “He _is_ kind of my boss.”

“And he buys you _so many_ shiny toys,” Darcy reminded her.

“Yeah,” she sighed gustily. “You’re coming with me.”

Darcy gave her a snappy (and only _partially_ sarcastic) salute. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, boss.”

Tony’s lab was just down the hall, but – to be fair – it was a _really long_ hall. Or haul. Hah. Darcy gamely followed along behind Jane, less out of a desire for a physical shield (Jane was ninety pounds soaking wet, _tops_ ) and more because she knew her capabilities and if anyone was going to be able to _really_ help their resident mad genius, it would be her boss. They were maybe five feet away from the door when there was a muffled ‘thumping’ sound and the floor vibrated beneath their feet.

“What was _that?!_ ” Darcy asked, wide-eyed.

“I don’t know,” Jane said slowly. “JARVIS?”

“Yes, Dr. Foster?”

“Did Tony alert anyone _outside_ the labs about this ‘incident?’”

“I believe he comm’d the gym as well, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Wilson are on their ways down.”

“I’m not sure whether to find that comforting or worrying,” Jane mused, nibbling her bottom lip.

“Either way, back-up is coming?” Darcy offered.

“Yeah… alright, lets go.”

The door opened automatically (or because JARVIS was a gentleman, even if his creator wasn’t) revealing Tony sitting at a small bank of computers. He didn’t appear to be _doing_ anything though, unless one counted laughing and taking pictures with his cell phone and – presumably – the lab cameras as well.

“So, what’s the situation?” Jane asked.

Tony spun in his seat to face them, steepling his fingers in the manner favored by evildoers and overdramatic assholes everywhere. “Ladies! Welcome to the party. The situation is as follows: Brucey-boy was testing a new sleepy-time gas to make the Hulk go night-night while _I_ was helping Soldier #2 with his arm. Something,” he waved expansively, “went horribly, _hilariously_ wrong and blew up in Brucey’s face. He started transforming, Soldier #2 _valiantly_ threw himself between me and my soulmate,” his expression said exactly what he thought of _that_ , “and Dum-E shoved me out of the room just in time for JARVIS to initiate the contamination protocols. The room’s perfectly safe, now, but it’s also…occupied.”

“With a Hulk,” Jane said flatly.

“And a _really really_ stoned super-cyborg-soldier-assassin, yeah.”

“And you want us to… _what_ exactly?”

“They’re not hostile,” Tony said, “in fact, the sleepy-time seems to have been more of a ‘happy time’ drug, with possible elements of decreased inhibitions…like alcohol, really. Only potent enough to make the Hulk do, well, _that_.” He pointed, directing their attention to the reinforced window beside the door. Through it, they could see the Hulk sitting on the remains of a lab bench and –

“Is he trying to make a _flower crown_ out of _wiring?_ ” Darcy asked incredulously.

“Yes, yes he is,” Tony confirmed, tone halfway between exasperated and impossibly fond.

“So, what do you want us to do?” Jane asked, bringing the conversation back to the point.

“Come in with me, help me keep them distracted and happy long enough to get a viable blood sample from Soldier #2. There’s no knowing what the compound is doing to Bruce, but he should be fine. I’m more worried about whatever-this-is, which is calibrated to _Hulk biology_ , remember, making Soldier-boy’s screwy head even screwier.”

“That is a _great_ incentive to get us to come into the lab with you, Tony, really,” Jane muttered.

“I’ve never even met the guy before!” Darcy objected. “Isn’t he more likely to be, you know, _hostile?_ ”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Any other day I would say no. Today, while on _happy-juice?_ I’d say _hell no_.”

“Fine, lets go,” Jane said, heading for the door.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Steve?” Darcy asked plaintively, but it was too late, the other two scientists had already gone through the door. She groaned, then followed them…and she was _ever_ so glad she did, because if she hadn’t, she’d have missed out on a front-row seat to the _funniest thing ever._

Hulk, on seeing Tony, had immediately lit up like a Christmas tree. “Tony!” he greeted the scientists happily, then leaned over and _scooped_ him into his lap, folding over him in a full-body embrace. “ _My_ Tony,” Hulk crooned happily.

“This is why I knew I’d need help,” came Tony’s voice, muffled by the enthusiastic embrace.

“This is _priceless_ ,” Darcy choked out, “oh my god, JARVIS, please tell me you’re recording this?”

“One copy is being forwarded to Ms. Potts’ personal computer as we speak, Ms. Lewis.”

“You’re a gem, really.”

“I do try.”

“Um, Darcy?”

Jane’s voice had the younger woman turning – and coming face-to-face with one Bucky Barnes, who was barely a foot away and studying her intently. She yelped and would have jumped back, but before she knew what was happening, he had one hand (the metal one, _fantastic_ ) wrapped around her forearm and holding her still. She stared at him, taking in his short, messy hair (probably from attempting to tussle with Hulk), bright eyes, and curious expression. _Well, better curious than MAD_ , she thought.

He tilted his head to one side, studying her. “You look so _soft_ ,” he said, tone almost wondering. “I wonder if you’re as soft as you look.”

Quick-thinking being one of Darcy’s fortes, her reply was a belligerent, “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?

She held very still as he took her at her word, definitely a good indicator that he was basically something close to _drunk as hell_ , and reached out (flesh hand, this time) to trace his fingers over her cheek. “God, you’re gorgeous,” he breathed, eyes flicking over her face like he was trying to memorize it while his fingers continued their path down along her jaw to her chin and then up, to trace her lips.

Darcy was restraining the impulse to bite him (not in a sexy way… _kind of_ in a sexy way?) when Jane’s voice jerked her out of the staring contest she’d unintentionally fallen into with Soldier #2 – and his eyes were even _bluer_ than Steve’s, if that was even possible – causing her to lift her gaze to the scientist (incidentally causing Bucky to move his hand away from her mouth – which was either a relief or a disappointment, she couldn’t quite decide), who she could see over his shoulder.

“Correct me if I’m remembering this wrong,” Jane said, “but isn’t that whole ‘soft’ thing your soulmark?”

She froze. “Yes, yes it is.”

“Well, on the plus side, he’s nowhere near as much of an asshole as you worried he might be?”

“Just as soused as I’d thought he’d be, though.”

Jane shrugged philosophically, “Can’t really picture a reasonable human being saying that to you _sober._ ”

“True.”

“Wait, waitwaitwaitwait _wait_ ,” Tony shouted, still muffled by miles and miles of green Hulk-flesh, “are you telling me that Soldier #2 is your _soulmate?_ And I _missed_ seeing that because _someone_ ,” there was a very faint ‘thump’ that made Darcy think Tony had pounded against something (probably more Hulk-flesh) for emphasis, “is _stupidly handsy_ when he’s high?”

Hulk rumbled happily and curled into an even _tighter_ ball around Tony.

“You are going to owe me, big guy. You’re gonna do that thing I’ve been asking you to, and you will _like it._ ”

Darcy was distracted once more by Bucky’s hand on her chin (again) gently turning her face towards him again. “You’re my soulmate?” he asked her, and wow, was it just her or had his expression made a sudden switch from dopey-happy-sweet to _seriously intense?_ Then he was slowly but inexorably pulling her in towards him with his metal hand, which she was pretty sure should be alarming, but he was being so _careful_ with her.

He wrapped both of his arms around her and she couldn’t help but shiver at the feeling of his breath shuddering out against the top of her head. She curled her arms around his waist, closing those last few inches he’d left between them so she was pressed against him from knees to chest. She saw Jane giving her ‘d’awww’ face over his shoulder and stuck her tongue out at the other woman.

“Guess so, soldier – I mean _Bucky!_ ”

He huffed out a brief laugh, dropping his head down and rubbing his cheek against hers. She shivered involuntarily at the scratchy feel of his stubble against her skin, and then her eyes went wide when he very _deliberately_ lowered his head a little more to nuzzle against her _neck_. The added stimulus made Darcy’s hands clenched convulsively at his back.

“Uh, Bucky?” Christ, was that breathy voice really _hers?_

He turned his face so that when he spoke his lips moved against her skin, “Yeah, doll?”

She found herself reflexively tilting her head, exposing more of her neck. “Um, I think I forgot the question.”

Bucky laughed again, but this time, with the way he was wrapped around her, she could _feel_ it. “You let me know when you remember it, Darcy,” he told her, and proceeded to press a line of short, close-mouthed kisses down the column of her neck to her clavicle.

“Uh, what’s going on out there? Are we any closer to getting Bucky’s blood?” Tony called.

At almost the same time: “ _Bucky?!_ ”

Oh, look. Back-up _finally_ arrived.

Bucky had yet to let go of Darcy, and seemed perfectly content to stay _exactly_ where he was, having now graduated from near-chaste kisses to slowly, sweetly sucking a hickey into her skin just below the hinge of her jaw. She raised one hand to grab at the hair at the back of his neck, not sure if she was going to push him away or pull him closer, but he was moving, too, sliding his flesh hand under her shirt to lightly stroke the skin just above the base of her spine.

Darcy made a faint noise that was in _no way_ a whine. It was just. A noise. Possibly a _happy_ noise.

“Bruce was working on some sort of Hulk-tranq only it appears to have…slightly different effects and we came in here to help Tony get a blood sample from James so he could analyze the compound and figure out a cure – I think – but then Hulk decided he needed to cuddle him and James and Darcy discovered they were soulmates and now I think they’re…making out,” Jane explained.

Darcy tried to pay attention to their conversation (“Did you say that all in one go?” Sam was asking, impressed) but it was rather difficult as Bucky had just introduced _teeth_ into the equation. She dug her nails into the back of his neck, which caused _him_ to bite down a little harder than he had been and, really, this was not the sort of feedback loop that was appropriate for a freaking _laboratory!_

“Tony!” Steve shouted. “Do you have _any_ idea what chemicals Bruce was working with?”

“Uhhhh, serotonin and some sort of homemade superstrong tryptophan?”

“ _Natural_ chemicals, then?”

“Yeah, basically. Why?”

“The serum that was used on Bucky was a modified version of the one I received, it works a little more slowly but, if they’re _natural_ chemicals, then his body should have started regulating and filtering them immediately – the effects should be wearing off _now_ , if they haven’t _already_ ,” Steve said authoritatively. “Bucky…” now his voice was a little more amused, “at least take the lady out for _dinner._ ”

Darcy’s mouth gaped open. _He did not…_ Bucky gave her neck one last lick, then she felt him smiling against her skin. _He totally did!_ She waited till he’d started to withdraw, then tugged on his hair – not _really_ hard, but hard enough that she knew he’d feel it.

“Not really an incentive to stop, doll,” he told her, pulling back enough that he could smile at her. His pupils were blown wide, cheeks a little flushed, and his lips…Christ. They were wet and red and she –

“I think I should be mad at you,” she told him, but she didn’t move away.

“You _think?_ ” he asked, eyebrow quirking.

“Yeah, _I think._ I probably _would_ be, too, but I’m still riding that relief high from finding out that my soulmark referred to my _cheek_ and not, you know, _the girls._ ” That concern was most of the reason she’d been sure her soulmate must be an asshole, and drunkenly complained to Jane about her same such worries.

He leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes, “Doll, soon as you wanna let me, I’ll be happy to find out _firsthand_ just exactly how soft you are _all over_.”

Darcy felt goosebumps break out all over her ‘soft’ skin. “Oh,” she said eloquently.

“Till then, though,” he reluctantly detached himself from her, making sure to keep a hold on one of her hands, and twining their fingers, “much though I hate to admit it, the punk is right. Dinner?”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling, “I’d like that.”

He grinned and started leading her from the room: nodding to Jane, and rolling his eyes at Steve and Sam. She waited till they were on the threshold, crossing that little lip of metal that helped seal in the room during contamination events before she said:

“We’ll see about revisiting that ‘soft’ question, later.”

Bucky tripped.

Darcy smirked.

It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAND SCENE. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
